Building an Asian Inspired Keepsake Box

In this episode, I build a custom asian inspired keepsake box. The Keepsake box sides are made from bamboo, and the top and legs are cherry. The handle is made from walnut.

This box’s final destination was the Netflix Series, Cobra Kai, Season 4, Episode 7.

If you are into woodworking and want to make this box, I do have “How To Plans” available for this project.

Summary

Building Japanese-Inspired Keepsake Boxes

Brian discussed the process of building 30 boxes using various tools and materials. He started by cutting and shaping the legs from 8/4 Cherry, using a joiner to square up two edges. He then used a domino to cut mortises in the legs and a spindle sander to refine the shape. He used bamboo flooring for the sides of the boxes, carefully cutting and assembling each box from one board to minimize color variation. He used a miter key box, making jig to cut small dados on all the legs. The glue-up used epoxy instead of regular wood glue due to the difficulty of bonding with the resin in the bamboo flooring. Rubber bands were used as clamps, and blue tape was used to prevent epoxy from getting on the prefinished parts of the flooring.

Woodworking Project: Bevel, Panel, and Finishing Techniques

Brian discussed his woodworking project, focusing on the decorative bevel on the lid and using a shop-made raised panel. He emphasized the importance of cutting with the grain to avoid tear out of wood and shared his method of using a dado stack to cut the rabbit on the bottom of the lid. Brian also detailed the finishing process, using satin lacquer and walnut for the handle. He demonstrated how he used a bandsaw and router table to shape the handle and how he set up an L-stop for drilling holes in the lids. Finally, he shared his method of creating a zero clearance throat plate to prevent small pieces from falling through and how he glued everything together to complete the project.

Crafting 30 Custom Boxes:

Building a set of boxes can be a rewarding woodworking project, especially when repurposing scrap materials. In this post, I’ll walk you through my process of creating 30 custom boxes, from milling the legs to assembling the final pieces.

Gathering and Preparing Materials

I started by collecting scrap wood—specifically, quarter-cut offcuts—lying around the shop. After ripping them down to 1.5 inches, I used the jointer to square up two edges, ensuring clean joints where the legs would meet the box sides.

To ensure consistency, I squared one end of each leg on the table saw, then flipped them and used the miter gauge to cut them all to the same length.

Cutting Mortises with a Domino Jig

Working with small pieces can be tricky, so I built a plywood jig to hold the legs securely while cutting mortises with my Domino joiner. I added stops on both sides to quickly position mortises at the top and bottom of each leg.

For shaping, I roughed out the leg profiles on the bandsaw using a quarter-inch, six-TPI blade for better control. Blue tape helped keep the pieces aligned when flipping them to cut the opposite side. Afterward, I refined the shape using a spindle sander to remove any saw marks.

Working with Stranded Bamboo

The box sides were made from stranded bamboo flooring—a durable but challenging material due to its resin content. This resin is so hard that I had to get my saw blade sharpened mid-project!

To maintain consistency, I built each box from a single board to avoid color variations between sides. I also modified my Domino jig to stabilize the bamboo during mortising, preventing chatter and ensuring clean cuts.

Assembling the Boxes

Since the box bottoms needed dados to fit into the legs, I used my miter sled to cut shallow dados. Interestingly, the dado location overlapped with the lower mortise, so I extended the mortise slightly to accommodate both.

For glue-up, I opted for epoxy instead of traditional wood glue, as I wasn’t confident that wood glue would bond well with the bamboo’s resin. Large rubber bands served as makeshift clamps, and I used tape to prevent squeeze-out from sticking to the pre-finished bamboo.

Creating the Lids

The decorative beveled lids were shaped using a raised-panel jig on the table saw. I always cut cross-grain first to minimize tear-out, then finished with the grain for a clean edge. A rabbet on the underside ensured the lid would sit flush inside the box.

Adding Handles

For the handles, I roughed out the shape on the bandsaw, refined it with a router and template bit, and finished with the spindle sander. To drill consistent holes for all 30 handles, I set up a drill press jig for precise placement.

Cutting dowels for the handles was quick work with a zero-clearance throat plate on the table saw and a stop block to ensure uniform lengths. A bit of CA glue secured everything in place.

Finishing Touches

A satin lacquer gave the boxes a smooth, durable finish. With all 30 boxes assembled, the project was complete!

Final Thoughts

This project was a great exercise in efficiency, jig-making, and working with unconventional materials. Repurposing scrap wood and salvaged bamboo not only saved costs but also added unique character to each box.

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